Thursday, December 29, 2022

Bylaw Story

https://www.westerlynews.ca/news/crackdown-bears-fruit-as-illegal-camping-reports-plunge-in-tofino/ 

Sunday, October 16, 2022

Low Voter Turnout


Voter turnout looks to be about half of what it was in 2018.


 

Friday, September 16, 2022

District of Tofino Employment Opportunity

 

MANAGER OF LEGISLATIVE SERVICES

Posted: Sep 15, 2022   |   By: Communications

Department: Corporate Services

Deadline: Friday, October 14, 2022

Reporting to the Director of Corporate Services, the Manager of Legislative Services is responsible for managing the corporate services function of the municipality. Responsibilities include: the running of Council and Committee meetings, public hearings, town hall meetings, and other meetings as required; the management of municipal bylaws and policies; information, file, and records management in accordance with the legislative requirements; municipal office resource management; corporate communications; Chief Election Officer duties; and handling Freedom of Information requests. The Manager of Legislative Services is the appointed Corporate Officer for the municipality.

Sunday, September 11, 2022

Camper Story From Long Ago

https://www.westerlynews.ca/news/housing-woes-have-tofino-thinking-about-relaxing-camper-restrictions/ 

  There has been talk of an upcoming crackdown on illegal housing situations. History shows us that this is nothing new and is just talk . 

Friday, September 9, 2022

Candidates for Council

 

DISTRICT OF TOFINO
GENERAL LOCAL ELECTION
OCTOBER 15, 2022 

As of 4:00 PM on Friday, September 9, 2022, I, Jaime Larsen, Deputy Chief Election Officer for the District of Tofino, do hereby declare the following persons as candidates in the 2022 General Local Election to be held Saturday, October 15, 2022:

Candidates for the office of Mayor:
Dan Law

Candidates for the offices of Councillor:
Al Anderson
John Enns
Duncan McMaster
Ali Sawyer
Sarah Sloman
Tom Stere
Kat Thomas


Given under my hand at Tofino, British Columbia, this 9th day of September 2022.

Jaime Larsen
Deputy Chief Election Officer

Saturday, August 13, 2022

Tofino Housing Corporation Out Of Control

     


  August 9th, 2022

RE: Endorsement of Tofino Housing Corporation future development site identification and purchase process

Dear Mayor Law and Tofino Council,

In April 2022 District staff presented a report to Committee of the Whole with respect to the following Council resolution passed during the DL 114 rezoning:

THAT staff be authorized to conduct a review of those District-owned lands outside of the proposed development and make recommendations to Council for areas appropriate for environmental protection through zoning, covenants or other means.

The Committee received the report from staff.

From the discussion that occurred at that meeting THC understands that there are hesitations with whether any additional development on District Lot 114 (DL 114) should occur after the first 5 lots that have been subdivided are developed (2 apartment buildings, 3 duplexes).

THC understands the concerns raised by members of the public and Council include:

• The area is covered by mature forest, which has biodiversity, wildlife and climate mitigation benefits;

• The lands are part of the trail network that provides access to Tonquin Beach and Tlaa-kaa-shiis / the Tonquin Forest area, and it is relatively close to the residential area of Tofino which has benefits for residents and tourists alike;

• The planned density will change the character of the neighbourhood;

• There are hesitations about whether so much housing is needed given other planned non-

market and market developments As has been emphasized by the THC:

• The DL 114 lands are identified for Future Housing in the Official Community Plan;

• DL 114 has been identified for housing development by District policies since 2005;

• The business strategy adopted by the THC in 2018 and shared with Council anticipated being

able use a portion of these lands for future housing, including the sale of land for market

development to support below-market, affordable housing development.

• Preliminary analysis by THC suggests only about 20-25% of DL 114 is suitable for development

(less than 10% has been developed to date) with about 75-80% of the DL 114 lands most

suitable for conservation; and

• THC is considering both the shorter-term 2030 Strategic Plan development target (180 homes)

and long-term expectations for below market housing need in Tofino (400 homes +).

Page 3 of 5


  Within this context THC understands there is a need to work with District staff to consider the various options for where additional THC facilitated below-market housing development could occur alongside conservation priorities and options for DL 114. THC is seeking endorsement of the following project components:

• Identification of opportunities for below market housing in association with new developments and other partners (may include private development lands, hospital lands, Mount Colnet lands, school lands, Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation lands and other partners as they emerge);

• Consideration of development opportunities on District lands other than DL 114 (see table);

• Consideration of different development / conservation scenarios for DL 114;

• Consideration of financing requirements to acquire private lands for below market housing

development;

• Development of a decision-making framework to guide decisions about using identified District

lands (whether DL 114 or elsewhere) for below market housing development as the community

need requires it; and

• A public engagement and consultation process to allow a broad segment of the Tofino public to

indicate their preferred priority between the development options identified with potential partners, conservation and development options for DL 114 and other District lands, or implementing the financing options to acquire private lands.

THC is proposing to include, in addition to DL 114, the District lands listed in the table below for further consideration in the review. The table also includes possible development scenarios for the selected District lands. THC would like to emphasize to Council and members of the public we are not proposing any of these developments, but rather if development was determined to be appropriate at the location identified what scale of development could be realised. The project work would include additional assessment of development feasibility and potential, and allow for future public input into prioritizing appropriate development scenarios. Many of the District lands are already slated for other uses, are in a poor location, constrained by covenants or also have high environmental values. There are three parcels currently dedicated, but not actively used, as Parks that we believe should be part of the assessment. We would request that Council indicate if any of the lands identified below should be removed from consideration.

    Property

181 1st Street 720 Campbell St

Third and Main Parking Lot

Parking beside Municipal Hall Lone Cone Rd Park

Size (m2/ac)

620 / 0.15 1,835 / 0.40

1,345 / 0.33

1,345 / 0.33 6,616 / 1.63

Initial projected density

8-10 3-storey stacked townhouses

12-15 3-storey townhouses

30 units in 3 storey apartment

As above

70 units in 3.5 storey apartment

Comments

Treed, rocky

Waterfront, steep, potentially suited to some higher priced housing to raise money for below-market projects Limited by parking options and heigh of development; 5-6 stories likely required to justify underground parking

As above

Dedicated park, partially cleared, steep towards Lone Cone

                        Page 4 of 5


      Abraham Drive Park (rectangle) Parkland off Lynn Rd

Abraham Drive Park (skinny section)

Park west of Yew Wood subdivision

2,260 / 0.56 10,236 / 2.53 TBD

7,400 / 1/81

21 units in 3 storey apartment

35 units as 2.5 storey townhouses

TBD TBD

Dedicated park, treed, gully with riparian area?

Dedicated park, treed, relatively flat

Is only 20m wide – could it be tiny home walk-in site?

No access unless via DL 117

              DL 117

    TBD

  TBD

   Similarly treed and with trail network to the community centre/Tonquin Beach; need to confirm surplus lands after WWTP project.

 District Lands not included:

• 174 Grice Rd; covenanted for conservation

• Campbell Street Park / Skate Park / Tennis Courts; developed park

• First Street Park; developed park

• Tonquin Park; already used park

• Public Works Yard; no surplus land

• Sharp Rd Lift Station

• Cemetery (1980 Pacific Rim Highway)

• Cox bay Parking Area

• Tourist information pullout

• 1368 Pacific Rim Hwy (Jensen’s Bay); covenanted to subdivision owners for P2 use only

• DL 118, DL 119; no access, mature forest

With Council endorsement of this approach THC will be more confident to spend MRDT resources on some of the initial work components and be able to work with staff on a joint project plan for the next budget cycle.

Cordially,

Ian Scott, MCIP, RPP Interim Executive Director

 Page 5 of 5


Thursday, July 21, 2022

After selling housing units , Tofino wants to buy


 Tofino sold off housing units it got from developers now wants to spend taxpayers money to buy back in . Is there any planning at all in this district ? 

Is it legal to create a suite in Ocean Park strata subdivision ? 

Tuesday, June 21, 2022

District of Tofino Update


Dear Community Member,

In late 2021, the District of Tofino (the “District”) commissioned third party consultants, James Ridge Consulting and Innova Strategy Group to conduct a comprehensive Service Level Review. The purpose of the review was to re-align staffing and core operations while addressing gaps related to the service demands in Tofino. The review provided specific recommendations to Council and was approved in late April of 2022.

Today, we are pleased to highlight a few changes and ongoing actions resulting from the review and how they are targeted to positively impact Tofino families and youth.
The first change was implemented in May 2022, by restructuring the six (6) District departments into three:
1. Corporate Services
2. Community Services
3. Infrastructure and Public Works

Specifically related to families and youth, the Community Children’s Centre (CCC) and Recreation services were moved under the leadership of the Community Services department. To ensure the success of this change, the “Manager of Community Programs” role was created. This role will manage Recreation and the CCC along with other programs, services and events. The District is pleased to announce that Cindy Hutchison has been hired as the Manager of Community Programs and started the role on June 20, 2022.

Further, the District will continue the “Paid Education Opportunity” program training local residents to become Early Childhood Educators. This program identifies potential Early Childhood Education (ECE) employees and covers the cost of education and certification for the employee. Once certification is complete, the certified ECE worker is placed at the CCC. To date, this program has trained and hired two CCC staff and is currently seeking one new candidate. Yet, even with the addition of new staff and a commitment to enhancing services, the District continues to experience challenges relating to housing.

While we continue to make every effort to recruit, hire and fill vacancies, the current labour market and lack of housing negatively impacts hiring across the organization. The District is continuing the search for rental options to house essential staff and welcomes any property owners who have viable options to contact us.
Parents and caregivers with questions, or property owners who would like to discuss possible housing options for District staff, are encouraged to contact April Froment, Director of Community Services.

We would like to thank you for your continued patience as we work through these department restructures, recruitment processes and ongoing housing challenges. We look forward to the days ahead where staff, families, youth and other community members feel supported and stable, and where the community can come together and thrive.

Sincerely,
April Froment, Director of Community Services
250 725 3229 x 613
april@tofino.ca


Sent from within the Hahuulthii of the Tla-o-qui-aht Ha'wiih.

Monday, May 30, 2022

Taxes Going Up !



https://www.westerlynews.ca/news/tofino-approves-11-per-cent-tax-hike/ 

Wednesday, May 4, 2022

Job Search Story

https://www.google.ca/search?q=tofino+cao.job+posting&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-ca&client=safari#fpstate=tldetail&htidocid=WD3Xn5WmRRcAAAAAAAAAAA%3D%3D&htiq=tofino%20cao.job%20posting&htivrt=jobs 

Great to see a new CAO that is already familiar with Tofino but how much did the DOT spend on a job search when there was already a local candidate that was on the DOT payroll ? 

New CAO Announced

Wednesday, May 4, 2022                                           Dear Sir/Madam,
On behalf of Council, I'm pleased to announce the appointment of Nyla Attiana to the position of Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) for the District of Tofino.
Nyla brings passion and commitment to the organization as well as to the community as a whole. We are confident in her incredible leadership skills and depth of knowledge of District matters, which combined will help ensure the successful implementation of a strategic vision that meets the Municipality's current and future needs.
Please join me in welcoming Ms. Attiana to her new role when she begins the position on May 22, 2022.
Mayor Dan Law
dlaw@tofino.ca
Sent from within the Hahuulthii of the Tla-o-qui-aht Ha'wiih.

Sunday, February 27, 2022

NDP Opposes Arming Ukraine

https://www.ndp.ca/news/ndps-statement-ukraine 

NDP opposes sending weaponry to Ukraine. Meanwhile we see Ukraine citizens fighting Russian tanks with ancient rifles and molotov cocktails.  

Thursday, February 24, 2022

Pay Parking Stalled Downtown

 https://www.westerlynews.ca/news/downtown-pay-parking-expansion-stalls-in-tofino/

 I suspect that the District of Tofino doesn’t want to get in a pissing match with the hundreds of offshore users. No surprise there. 

Friday, February 11, 2022

Public Works Update

 Tofinonews has confirmed that Fraser Works is leaving his position at the District of Tofino.